Game Preview: New York Giants, September 24, 2015
--by BigBlueInteractive
Washington Redskins at New York Giants, September 24, 2015
THE STORYLINE:
Who are the 2015 New York Giants? On paper, they are a young team led by the oldest and most experienced head coach in the NFL and a 34-year old, two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback. They currently only have one offensive weapon ? Odell Beckham ? who really scares the opposition in the passing game. The running game remains too unproductive and inconsistent. Defensively, the Giants appear to be a spunky group that lacks any impact player. They can?t rush the passer and they can?t close the deal in the 4th quarter. And once again, it?s a team that simply can?t stay healthy (8 players on Injured Reserve, 13 on the injury report).
The Giants should have stolen the game from the Cowboys, and not the other way around. They had the Falcons on the ropes until another 4th quarter meltdown. Is it a lack of talent? Bad coaching decisions at the wrong moments? Lack of confidence and expecting the worst to happen? Probably a combination of all of the above.
The issue now is that for the third season in a row, the Giants find themselves in a very bad 0-2 hole and risk making themselves irrelevant once again before November. Their saving grace is the state of the rest of the NFC East. It?s almost as if they?ve been given one final second chance. Don?t blow it Giants.
THE INJURY REPORT:
WR Victor Cruz (calf ? out)
OT Will Beatty (pectoral ? on PUP and will not play)
TE Daniel Fells (foot ? probable)
TE Jerome Cunningham (knee ? out)
LT Ereck Flowers (ankle ? doubtful)
RG Geoff Schwartz (illness ? probable)
DE Robert Ayers (hamstring ? questionable)
DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot ? out)
DE/DT Cullen Jenkins (hamstring ? probable)
DT Markus Kuhn (knee ? out)
DT Jay Bromley (knee ? probable)
LB Jon Beason (knee ? probable)
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromarties (concussion ? out)
NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
Through two games, the Washington Redskins have the NFL?s #1 defense. It is #4 against the run and #2 against the pass. Part of that is due to having faced two offensively-challenged teams in the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams. But the Redskins also shut down a Rams team that had just beaten the NFC Champions.
The Redskins operate a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Joe Barry. The defensive line was largely rebuilt in free agency with the additions of nose tackle Terrance Knighton and left defensive end Stephen Paea. Ex-Cowboy Jason Hatcher still mans the right defensive end position. Their job is to keep the Redskins talented and active linebackers free. Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is an aggressive, physical football player who can rush the passer. The other outside linebacker ? Trent Murphy ? is similar in style and a former 2nd round pick. Inside linebackers Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley make a lot of tackles. (Riley has been bothered by a calf injury).
Despite Washington?s #2 ranking against the pass, the Redskins could still be vulnerable in the secondary. They imported cornerback Chris Culliver and safety Dashon Goldson in the offseason from the 49ers and Buccaneers, respectively, to go along with cornerback DeAngelo Hall and safety Trenton Robinson. They really haven?t been tested yet by a serious passing game.
The Giants did the right thing in cutting Preston Parker. Unless he gets his head out of his ass quickly, I would be tempted to do the same with Rueben Randle. I?d rather take my chances with no-names like Geremy Davis and Julian Talley who at least look like they are giving an effort.
The Giants need to get the God-damn running game going. No excuses. You have four backs who you have invested a lot of resources in. Use them. Put Daniel Fells in at tight end and Nikita Whitlock at fullback and run the football. When throwing the football, look to Odell Beckham and Shane Vereen. Perhaps the site of Burgundy and Gold will inspire Larry Donnell to re-visit his three-TD game against the Redskins from last season.
NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The game plan is simple. Stop the run. Make the Redskins one dimensional and force Kirk Cousins to beat you. It?s easier said than done as ex-Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan appears to be doing marvelous job with a group that really struggled in the preseason. The Redskins are the #1 rushing team in the NFL despite facing two teams with very talented defensive lines. Trent Williams is one of the more talented (but sometimes inconsistent) left tackles in the NFL and the Redskins have high draft picks ? Brandon Scherff at guard and Morgan Moses at tackle ? manning the reinvigorated right side of the line. The two-head monster at tailback is Alfred Morris and rookie Matt Jones ? both big, physical backs. This is old school football. The Redskins are going to attempt to pound the Giants right at the point-of-attack. Washington will challenge the toughness and manhood of Big Blue.
The good news for the Giants is that WR DeSean Jackson (hamstring) will not play. The two main threats in the passing game are WR Pierre Garcon and TE Jordan Reed (who is more of a dynamic H-Back). These are Kirk Cousins? two go-to guys. Cousins is an up-and-down quarterback. Right now he is incredibly completing 76 percent of his passes but he will make the bone-headed turnover.
This is a game where the Giants front seven and secondary will have to play very tough, physical football for a full 60 minutes against the run. Defending the ground attack will be more important than rushing the passer in this game. The Giants will have to play their big boys up front. Do that and cover Garcon and Reed.
NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Giants are much better on special teams than the Redskins. This is an opponent where the team?s offseason additions could finally have a game-altering impact.
FROM THE COACH?S MOUTH:
Tom Coughlin on the Washington Redskins: ?Kirk Cousins, their quarterback, his percentage of completions is at 75 percent. They?re the number one rush team in the league, they?re the number two time of possession team in the league ? almost 38 minutes a game. The opponent just doesn?t have the ball. Defensively, they?re number one in the league, fourth against the rush, second against the pass.?
THE FINAL WORD:
Through two games, the Redskins have proven to be a very fundamentally-sound football team. They are the #1 rushing team and the #1 defense in the NFL. The big worry here is stopping the Redskins ground game. That?s the key to the game.
For the last few years, we?ve heard the coaches and players say, ?There?s still time to turn this around.? For the last few years, they?ve been dead wrong. It?s put up or shut up time right now. Or the empty seats will start appearing at MetLife in October, and that?s just plain sad. Play the run. Hit. Tackle. Run the football. Get the ball to Beckham and Vereen in the passing game. Make plays on special teams.
Most importantly, to paraphrase Ulysses S. Grant, stop worrying about what other teams are going to do to you and make them worry about what you are going to do to them!
This game has some deja vu qualities to it to 2007. That 0-2 Giants team, with a new defensive coordinator named Steve Spagnuolo, won a nail-biter against the Redskins in week three. It was a win that propelled the Giants to a 6-game winning streak and much more significant results. It doesn?t have to be pretty. Just win. Then get Victor Cruz back and start making some hay.
--by BigBlueInteractive
Washington Redskins at New York Giants, September 24, 2015
THE STORYLINE:
Who are the 2015 New York Giants? On paper, they are a young team led by the oldest and most experienced head coach in the NFL and a 34-year old, two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback. They currently only have one offensive weapon ? Odell Beckham ? who really scares the opposition in the passing game. The running game remains too unproductive and inconsistent. Defensively, the Giants appear to be a spunky group that lacks any impact player. They can?t rush the passer and they can?t close the deal in the 4th quarter. And once again, it?s a team that simply can?t stay healthy (8 players on Injured Reserve, 13 on the injury report).
The Giants should have stolen the game from the Cowboys, and not the other way around. They had the Falcons on the ropes until another 4th quarter meltdown. Is it a lack of talent? Bad coaching decisions at the wrong moments? Lack of confidence and expecting the worst to happen? Probably a combination of all of the above.
The issue now is that for the third season in a row, the Giants find themselves in a very bad 0-2 hole and risk making themselves irrelevant once again before November. Their saving grace is the state of the rest of the NFC East. It?s almost as if they?ve been given one final second chance. Don?t blow it Giants.
THE INJURY REPORT:
WR Victor Cruz (calf ? out)
OT Will Beatty (pectoral ? on PUP and will not play)
TE Daniel Fells (foot ? probable)
TE Jerome Cunningham (knee ? out)
LT Ereck Flowers (ankle ? doubtful)
RG Geoff Schwartz (illness ? probable)
DE Robert Ayers (hamstring ? questionable)
DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot ? out)
DE/DT Cullen Jenkins (hamstring ? probable)
DT Markus Kuhn (knee ? out)
DT Jay Bromley (knee ? probable)
LB Jon Beason (knee ? probable)
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromarties (concussion ? out)
NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
Through two games, the Washington Redskins have the NFL?s #1 defense. It is #4 against the run and #2 against the pass. Part of that is due to having faced two offensively-challenged teams in the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams. But the Redskins also shut down a Rams team that had just beaten the NFC Champions.
The Redskins operate a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Joe Barry. The defensive line was largely rebuilt in free agency with the additions of nose tackle Terrance Knighton and left defensive end Stephen Paea. Ex-Cowboy Jason Hatcher still mans the right defensive end position. Their job is to keep the Redskins talented and active linebackers free. Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is an aggressive, physical football player who can rush the passer. The other outside linebacker ? Trent Murphy ? is similar in style and a former 2nd round pick. Inside linebackers Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley make a lot of tackles. (Riley has been bothered by a calf injury).
Despite Washington?s #2 ranking against the pass, the Redskins could still be vulnerable in the secondary. They imported cornerback Chris Culliver and safety Dashon Goldson in the offseason from the 49ers and Buccaneers, respectively, to go along with cornerback DeAngelo Hall and safety Trenton Robinson. They really haven?t been tested yet by a serious passing game.
The Giants did the right thing in cutting Preston Parker. Unless he gets his head out of his ass quickly, I would be tempted to do the same with Rueben Randle. I?d rather take my chances with no-names like Geremy Davis and Julian Talley who at least look like they are giving an effort.
The Giants need to get the God-damn running game going. No excuses. You have four backs who you have invested a lot of resources in. Use them. Put Daniel Fells in at tight end and Nikita Whitlock at fullback and run the football. When throwing the football, look to Odell Beckham and Shane Vereen. Perhaps the site of Burgundy and Gold will inspire Larry Donnell to re-visit his three-TD game against the Redskins from last season.
NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The game plan is simple. Stop the run. Make the Redskins one dimensional and force Kirk Cousins to beat you. It?s easier said than done as ex-Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan appears to be doing marvelous job with a group that really struggled in the preseason. The Redskins are the #1 rushing team in the NFL despite facing two teams with very talented defensive lines. Trent Williams is one of the more talented (but sometimes inconsistent) left tackles in the NFL and the Redskins have high draft picks ? Brandon Scherff at guard and Morgan Moses at tackle ? manning the reinvigorated right side of the line. The two-head monster at tailback is Alfred Morris and rookie Matt Jones ? both big, physical backs. This is old school football. The Redskins are going to attempt to pound the Giants right at the point-of-attack. Washington will challenge the toughness and manhood of Big Blue.
The good news for the Giants is that WR DeSean Jackson (hamstring) will not play. The two main threats in the passing game are WR Pierre Garcon and TE Jordan Reed (who is more of a dynamic H-Back). These are Kirk Cousins? two go-to guys. Cousins is an up-and-down quarterback. Right now he is incredibly completing 76 percent of his passes but he will make the bone-headed turnover.
This is a game where the Giants front seven and secondary will have to play very tough, physical football for a full 60 minutes against the run. Defending the ground attack will be more important than rushing the passer in this game. The Giants will have to play their big boys up front. Do that and cover Garcon and Reed.
NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Giants are much better on special teams than the Redskins. This is an opponent where the team?s offseason additions could finally have a game-altering impact.
FROM THE COACH?S MOUTH:
Tom Coughlin on the Washington Redskins: ?Kirk Cousins, their quarterback, his percentage of completions is at 75 percent. They?re the number one rush team in the league, they?re the number two time of possession team in the league ? almost 38 minutes a game. The opponent just doesn?t have the ball. Defensively, they?re number one in the league, fourth against the rush, second against the pass.?
THE FINAL WORD:
Through two games, the Redskins have proven to be a very fundamentally-sound football team. They are the #1 rushing team and the #1 defense in the NFL. The big worry here is stopping the Redskins ground game. That?s the key to the game.
For the last few years, we?ve heard the coaches and players say, ?There?s still time to turn this around.? For the last few years, they?ve been dead wrong. It?s put up or shut up time right now. Or the empty seats will start appearing at MetLife in October, and that?s just plain sad. Play the run. Hit. Tackle. Run the football. Get the ball to Beckham and Vereen in the passing game. Make plays on special teams.
Most importantly, to paraphrase Ulysses S. Grant, stop worrying about what other teams are going to do to you and make them worry about what you are going to do to them!
This game has some deja vu qualities to it to 2007. That 0-2 Giants team, with a new defensive coordinator named Steve Spagnuolo, won a nail-biter against the Redskins in week three. It was a win that propelled the Giants to a 6-game winning streak and much more significant results. It doesn?t have to be pretty. Just win. Then get Victor Cruz back and start making some hay.
